Jack Kirby Heirs Fight For Copyright Reversion

The heirs in September filed dozens of termination notices with the U.S. Copyright Office in a bid to revert Marvel’s rights to them beginning in 2014, Marvel claims. The notices were sent under a law allowing authors and their heirs to terminate copyright deals after a long delay.

Boldfaced emphasis added by me.

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The comic book publisher and movie producer claims Kirby’s contributions to the comic book superheroes and stories were made-for-hire works, making Marvel the sole owner of the copyrights, according to the complaint.